A commentary based website focusing primarily on sports, although a number of other subjects may be discussed.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Day 61 - Tornado Relief / Please Help

Please people, give the Google advertisements a click. Google will pay me a few cents every time one of you takes the time to click on one of their ads on this site. When I first put the ads up, I thought, "Well, maybe (over time) I'll get enough clicks to buy myself something that I normally wouldn't be able to get." Now, in light of the devastation that has cast such a dark cloud over my state and the rest of the south, I am hoping to speed up that process and use the money to help those that really need it.

As I am sure everyone knows by now, the storms that came through Alabama earlier this week left a trail of destruction, despair and doubt in their wake. While Tuscaloosa is the largest city that was hit, therefore garnering the majority of the media coverage; it is important that we realize there were so many other areas that were completely demolished by these storms. Close to home for me was the Phil Campbell area. A friend from work is from Phil Campbell and while he and his immediate family escaped both harm and material loss, he did lose several friends and a cousin.

Phil Campbell is what is often referred to as a "one horse town." A small down town area that consisted of a couple of shops, a convenience store, an ice cream parlor, a grocery store, a high school,a Masonic lodge and a couple of other buildings all kept in order by two traffic lights hanging over a 2 lane Alabama state highway. It is no more. While a couple of the buildings survived well enough to still be standing, for all practical purposes the town has been leveled. The tragic stories I am hearing from my friends and loved ones in my area concerning what they have seen and heard from those that survived the storms are horrific.

Phil Campbell was populated by roughly 1000 people. The way of life in this small area on top of an overgrown hill (that is lovingly referred to as a mountain by those of us who grew up here) consists primarily of about three job sources. Everyone is either a farmer or working in one of the plants (many mobile homes are made in this part of the state as well as a lot of furniture) or they commute to "The Shoals Area" for work. The people of this small Alabama town may not be as sophisticated as the New York City Slickers or as educated as all of the Washington DC bureaucrats, and they wouldn't have it any other way. They understand what a hard day's work consists of, they know what it means to be an American and as evidenced by the aftermath of the tornado, they know what it means to help each other.

Currently the death toll for this small community stands at 26 but others are still missing. Nearby Russellville, Alabama is the home of the closest hospital for Phil Campbell residents. After speaking with a nurse that volunteered to help the night of the storm, I can tell you that many, many of the people in Phil Campbell were injured. Some with life threatening injuries. This storm has had an enormous impact on my state and my psyche, but nothing compared to that of the residents of Phil Campbell. In my nurse friend's 25 years of nursing she said that she had never seen anything like what she saw in the Russellville Hospital. She said they were forced to send people with injuries that definitely needed further medical attention on their way because of the sheer volume of people with more pressing injuries. It's a scary thought, but I also understand that these types of decisions had to be made to save lives. She likened the scene to that of a military field hospital which, in itself, should give you a good idea of the scope of havoc that has been reaped on this small town.

A friend of mine who happens to be one of the best photographers I've ever seen, made the grim trip to Phil Campbell to take some supplies for those that needed them. While driving, she struggled with documenting what she found with her camera, but eventually felt that it was important for people to see what she had seen. Her website contains more pictures of the Phil Campbell area as well as a lot of her other work. The pictures attached to this article were all Taken by Amanda. Please go visit Amanda's site as well. Her ability to tell a story with a lens is truly remarkable. She can be found at:

Tuscaloosa is a city that holds a special place in my heart and I know that they too are in dire need of assistance. The death toll continues to climb in Tuscaloosa and several hundred are still missing. My point is that we need to remember that it was not only Tuscaloosa that needs help. Another small community (Hackleburg) was completely demolished by the same tornado that hit Phil Campbell. Harvest, Alabama (a Huntsville Suburb) was leveled by another April 27th, tornado. Alberta just outside of Tuscaloosa, Pell City outside of Birmingham and the list just goes on and on were all hit hard by these storms. Then we can add to that lives lost in Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee to make this one of the darkest days in the history of the United States.

I am proud to be an Alabamian for many reasons, but one of the largest ones is being displayed everywhere I have looked over the last couple of days. The people of this state are donating money, time, clothes, water, gasoline and their most heartfelt sympathies for their fellow Alabamians that have lost so much. I cannot fail to mention the outpouring of "love for your fellow man" being shown by Americans everywhere. Penn State has organized drives to help out those in Tuscaloosa. Former Alabama coach, Gene Stallings was photographed cooking food for emergency workers. Even Alabama and Auburn fans have put aside their ongoing feud to help those that need help. Regardless of the tragedy this state is dealing with, it is comforting to know that people all over this great country do still care.

Lastly, PLEASE CLICK the Google Advertisements. I made a post at www.hogville.net (an Arkansas Razorbacks Message Board Community) asking for their help by clicking the ads. From that one post on that one site, I garnered 40 ad clicks and raised $30.81 through my Google Associates account. (Thanks Douglas and the rest of you Hawgs. You all are a class bunch.) By clicking on the ads, you are NOT agreeing to buy anything. It just takes a moment of your time and it is a way to help those who need it without costing you a dime. My intentions are to give all proceeds to the Red Cross. I am going to make sure this is done in a way so that the money is used in all states, not just Alabama. In all honesty, my communication is very limited right now due to the storms, but I will find a way to evenly distribute the monies. If that means writing a separate check to the Red Cross branch in each state that is what I will do. I will keep this site updated on what is happening with the money and how much we have been able to raise. If you have any questions, feel free to reach me at Bamason25@gmail.com or on twitter at @bamason25 . Please spread the word and try to get some clicks for these people who are in dire need.

EDIT: 5/1/01 - WWW.TIGERDROPPINGS.COM (a LSU fan site) and WWW.HOGVILLE.NET (A Arkansas Razorbacks fan site) Have been instrumental in getting people to click the google ads on this site. I can't thank them enough. Many other people have helped me via twitter and facebook. If everyone can just get a person or two to come here and click a google ad, we will be able to make a decent donation to the Red Cross. Keep up the good work, we've got a long road ahead of us.

5 comments:

Such a wonderful synopsis of this horrendous event. I'm so thankful you and your family escaped harm and my prayers are with those not as fortunate. Being in MS, I am so limited to how I can help, but I did click on all the ads and also made a donation to the Red Cross. I literally have about 20 huge boxes of adult and children's clothes, along with shoes, that I want to get to Alabama. Do you, or know someone who does, know where I could take them where they are most needed? Just drop me an email if you have a suggestion. Until then, just know you and all my beloved state are in my heart and prayers. RTR

Friday, I didn't see an email address in your post. Phil Campbell is off limits unless you are.registered so I do not see the point in trying to attempt goin all the way in. I would suggest going 1st Baptist Church of Russellville. Someone there will see to it that your goods get to where they are needed. Clothes are really, really needed for the people of Phil Campbell. If needed, I will be glad to meet you.somewhere to save you.some of the drive time. Thanks so much for taking my post to heart.

Great, thanks! I will definitely be heading to Russellville! Since I hear rain and thunderstorms are moving in, I may wait til Tues or Wed so I can be of help in volunteer efforts also. Just keep me posted if anything changes. I'm sorry I failed to leave my email address in my previous comment. RTR

Everyone, please excuse my grammar and type o's as everything is having to be done from a phone for me right now. Freida, I saw that you were not actually Friday...it was the darned autocorrect feature on my phone. I might start calling you Friday though now. :O

As an update, our push to get the clicks on the google ads on this site is working. Today alone, we raised $165.00 dollars. We will try again tomorrow.

Hey, I've been called a lot worse, trust me! Friday will be just fine! ;) I commend you for your gallant efforts in using your blog in this endeavor! Kudos, my friend! It takes very little effort to click these links, and the payoff can make a huge difference. So folks, start clicking! RTR

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I am a married father of 2 and a huge sports fan. While my allegiance is to the University of Alabama, I love sports in general. This blog will cover a variety of sports (and occasionally some other topics)with hopes that maybe some day, some big time publication will give me an opportunity to make a living doing something I really enjoy...WRITING.